The Tale of the Toad and the Prince
by Vivian Yan
Summary: A fairytale wherein a mere toad and a royal prince meets under a not-so mundane lime tree.
1. I

Long ago, in the Kingdom of Konoha, there was a cheerful and bustling village with a royal family ruling nearby.

King Fugaku was preparing a grand ball for all the noble and rich villagers. The villagers thought it was another party thrown by the lonely king, but little did they know that King Fugaku was searching for the perfect wife—the rightful queen. And, it was not known at all, that he planned to find the fairest princesses—who were attending the ball, too—to marry his sons off into their own kingdom to rule.

It was the night before the grand ball when the king brought up the event to his two sons, who were completely unaware. The royal family was seated in the dining room, at a long rectangular table that felt empty with two rows down of neatly tucked in seats. As their serving maid poured wine into their chalice, King Fugaku cleared his throat and ordered the maid to leave.

"It's an important matter. You may leave now."

"Yes, sire," the maid automatically replied, and quickly took her leave by a hasted curtsy.

Feeling a bit of pity, Itachi looked longingly at the kind maid who was scurrying towards the doors. He had noticed earlier that she had done something to her hair, since she was serving the king today; her normally straight hair was weaved into pretty black curls.

"Itachi," the king began.

"Yes, my lord?" Itachi calmly turned his head around to stare at his father, sitting at the head of the table.

"Tomorrow, both of you will be attending my grand ball, and I expect there to be some courting."

There was silence after that, and only the scrape of their forks against their plates could be heard. It took five seconds for Sasuke to get out of his brooding before he sprang out of his chair and yelled, "Father, I am not going!"

"Yes, you are going, Sasuke, for I command you to."

"But—!"

Itachi rested his hands on his brother's shoulders and gave him a comforting smile. "It's fine, little brother. You have nothing to fear." With that, he gave Sasuke an affectionate poke to the forehead, and they resumed their quiet dinner.

* * *

Right by the castle was a shady forest of meandering rows of maple trees. The villagers of Konoha took the common maple trees for granted, as it had a unique power. The founder of Konoha was the first one to figure out its use. Hashirama Senju was actually a monkey before he became the First Hokage. He wanted to start a kingdom under his rule, but couldn't do so for he was an animal. He decided to test his parents' tales of the magical powers of the maple tree, and bit his way into the very core. The monkey drank too much sap, that instead of morphing into a human, he also gained special abilities of creating fire. His fire, that blew off his fingertips into fine enchantments as he pleased, was as red as the leaves of the tree itself.

Among the maple trees stood a single lime tree. The lime tree grew the sourest and sweetest limes, and the green skin made a cool resting spot for the frogs and toads that roamed in Konoha's forest.

One morning, two toads, a young orange one and an old red one, were hopping through the forest and came upon the lime tree. Deciding to rest, they sat on the fallen limes and waited for a fly to whiz by.

"Hey brat, I think it's time for you to get some ladies," the older toad croaked.

"PERVY SAGE! No way am I 'getting' ladies'! I'm too young," the younger toad protested.

The younger toad had the brightest orange skin, purple lips, and eyes as yellow as the sun. That toad could have gotten any she-toad he wanted, but lately, all of them had already found their partner for mating season. However, the older toad, whose name was Jiraiya, would not settle for another year to wait. He also wanted to see humans for the first time, and he would finally get a chance to do so once he finds a mate for Naruto.

"You know Naruto, I hear the humans eat food dropped from the heavens," the older toad exclaimed.

"F-food dropped from the heavens?" the younger toad asked. He imagined the best food he could think of, but only came to images of flies, red mosquito larvae, earthworms, and crickets. Then he looked at the lime he was sitting on and glared at his grandfather. "Gramps, you mean limes, too? They dropped from the heavens, and they're impossible to eat."

For that, the toad smacked his grandchild with his tongue. "No, Naruto! It's the greatest food you can imagine outside of this forest. And I know the ancient secrets, passed down by my grandfather, on how to get to the other world."

And so, Jiraiya told him the tale of the First Hokage and the maple tree, and they went off to prove the story true themselves.

* * *

It was the day of the ball and the royal brothers were being dressed for the event to happen at evening.

In their chamber rooms, the same maid from last night who tended the dinner was sent to dress Itachi.

Itachi could catch a glimpse of her doll face for the first time, and saw the soft grey eyes that his mother who passed away at his birth also had.

When she was done buttoning up his black suit and adjusting his collar, Itachi asked, "May I get your name, kind lady?"

The maid blushed and said, "Oh, well, I'm just a maid. But if you'd like, you may call me Mikoto."

"Ah, Mikoto then." Itachi whirled around and gave her a gentle smile. "I trust that you would be attending the grand ball this evening?"

"I'm just a maid, sire." She lowered her head, and her thick curls spilled onto her shoulders. "I couldn't possibly afford to go."

"Nonsense, I want to introduce you to my father. Be there ere the sun sets," he said, and left the room.

* * *

Finally, as the doors to the grand ball were thrust open, the guests pooled down the stairs and the ladies' gowns brushed against the marble floors.

King Fugaku waited for the room to quiet as he placed his firm hands against the banister from the stairs leading to the other hall. Once he got all of the rich and the nobles' attention, he cleared his throat for a short speech.

"Gentlewomen and gentlemen, I hope you all have an exciting time at my latest party. However, this ball is dedicated to finding the right ladies for the young princes and I to court. Enjoy, my good friends."

There was a rush of gasps and squeals, but finally it died down to the romantic melody of violins and the slow lullaby of the piano.

Almost all the young daughters of the noblemen and a select few princesses who arrived from another country fawned over the two princes ever since they heard of the Uchiha royalty—which didn't take long. Therefore, it was perfectly logical for them to be clambering up the stairs where the two boys stood beside their father.

"SAS-U-KE!"

"I-TA-CHI!"

The noblemen's daughters cried until their chants of Sasuke and Itachi filled the echoing ballroom. The princesses however, turned up their snooty noses and decided to ascend the stairs as slow as slugs—naturally, they were rammed by the charging ox herd of impatient fan girls.

Sasuke, having fan girl-phobia, had been long gone before the fan girls took their first step upon the stairwell, and hurried to the secret path throughout the castle to escape.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Naruto were having a merry time in the village, after they stole some clothes from the local tailor and spent their time doing what they fancy.

Jiraiya, of course, was drowning himself in ale at the Konoha Pub, groping a few sleazy women's butts every now and then.

Naruto discovered what Jiraiya meant by food from the heavens when he found himself inhaling that godly smell wafting from the ramen stand. He ordered countless bowls of miso pork ramen and stuffed his face until the noodles were poking out of his nose.

When Naruto ordered his billionth bowl, the owner of the ramen stand, Teuchi, asked when he was going to pay up for all that food. Naruto fled after he came up with an excuse, all the while having spiral fishcakes thrown at his mop of spiky blonde hair.

"YOU COME BACK HERE, RASCAL!" Teuchi's daughter, Ayami, shouted. "I'M GONNA SERVE YOUR HEAD FOR MISO PORK!"

When Naruto heard that last statement, his eyes had widened and he ran as if the devil was on his heels.

* * *

The sun was just about to set when the maid scurried to the almost closing doors of the grand ball.

The guards at the entrance almost did not realize her in the velvet red gown and the flowing, cascading hair. However, they soon recognized her by her trademark grey eyes, and forbid her to step any further.

"I-I-I was told that I may go," the maid meekly protested. "May you please let me in? P-Prince Itachi said that I may."

That earned the guards a bowling fit of laughter, and Mikoto felt beads of tears slowly trail down her cheeks. Maybe she shouldn't have spent all her money on the clothes—all the money she could scrape up from working for years. Maybe she shouldn't have come at all. Maybe she would stay a poor maid for her whole life.

She left the castle entrance with no crown to her head.

* * *

Sasuke managed to narrowly escape the guards that were sent after him in a wild chase, for he knew how much this night meant to his father, but he never cared for Fugaku's opinions, anyway.

He found himself panting heavily, out of breath, as he leaned against a tree that smelled much like fresh lime. Right behind the tree, he could see a well by moonlight, and leaned over it to check if there was any water. He thought he saw water high enough in level to touch, but it turns out that it was the moon reflecting the black sky. Foolish for leaning over, his gold earring fell out of his ear hole and plunked deep into the well.

He cursed aloud and came down to his knees, letting his head rest between. That earring was one from the pair of his mother's. He had never seen her in real life, but only in old pictures taken in grayscale. She wore those earrings in almost every picture taken of her. The other single earring was given to Itachi, and they were supposed to cherish the last item of their mother, for it was the only thing that brought them closer.

"How could this day get any worse?" He groaned.

A voice from above asked, "Why the long face?"

"God?" Sasuke asked, still not looking up.

"Hmm. No. But I can be!"

Sasuke quickly looked up to flash the jester a glare, but recoiled when he saw how beautiful the man before him was. Blonde hair like golden silk, blue eyes that sunk in the depth of the well itself, and the most cocky and friendly grin he'd ever seen.

Although he still had his mask in place, and stood up, brushing the seat of his pants. "And you must be?" he rudely addressed.

"Naruto, and you must be Bastard," the blonde answered.

"No," the raven snorted, "I'm Pri—Sasuke." Bewildered at why he didn't introduce his title for the first time, he cleared his throat and tried to bring it up, but Naruto wouldn't let him as he interrupted.

"Oh, well hello there, Prissy Miss Sasuke. Why the long face?"

Sasuke leered him into the eye as their noses were less than a centimeter apart. "My earring dropped into the damn well, that's why, loser." Then he slapped his mouth with his palm and was angry at himself for not keeping things secrets like he would usually do. What is up with him today?

"Ah, no problem." Naruto shrugged. "It's no big deal for me to get it."

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "You, loser?"

"Believe it!" Naruto cried, and was about to hop down into the well when he realized he was no longer a toad. That problem was no longer, however, when the big grandfather clock in the ballroom chimed twelve, the courting in the castle began, and Naruto shrunk into a croaking amphibian.

"L-loser—how?"

Sasuke stooped down and poked the warty toad's back. That was followed by a threatening croak, but Naruto went down to business and hopped down the well to retrieve the gold earring. Resting the gold earring on his tongue, he clamped his mouth shut and jumped out of the well.

He started to climb Sasuke's pants in attempt to drop it onto his hands, but failed when the prince squirmed and flung the toad off of him.

"Just drop it!" he yelled, with disgust like venom poisoning his words. "Don't touch me!"  
Hurt and ashamed with his pride deflated, the toad dropped the gold earring onto the grass and fled.

* * *

**A/N: This two-shot will be continued! Thank you for reading and I hope you review/favorite. :)**


	2. II

When Mikoto ran off from the castle entrance the other night, little did she know that her locket clasped around her neck had fallen off. The next morning, King Fugaku found the pendant strung on the broken silver chain on the front steps.

When he bent down to pick it up, he opened the locket and found the same grayscale picture that hung in a frame on his chamber walls. It was a picture of Lady Kushina Uzumaki with her long hair and grey eyes.

"But whose locket is this?" he asked himself. He then handed his most trusted guard the pendant, and ordered a large group of his men to search for the owner.

"Make sure the necklace fits," King Fugaku said. "And I expect you to come back with news by midnight."

The men nodded, and they got on their horses, riding into the Konoha village.

* * *

It was near noon when the royal three Uchihas gathered for breakfast, with Mikoto gone for the day and a new maid in her place. King Fugaku was furious with the sons for not finding any suitable ladies to the throne, especially with Sasuke for escaping. However, he did not bring up the matter until they have settled into their food, for he had plans that he knew they would not like.

After they took slowly picked up their forks and bit into the meat, King Fugaku cleared his throat and began. "Since none of you did what I asked of yesterday, I will be choosing your wives for you."

It didn't take long for Sasuke to react this time, as he sprang from his chair and grabbed a hold of his father's vest collar and screamed, "No, you shall not!"

King Fugaku bellowed, "How dare you act against your lord!" He called the guards to capture him as Prince Sasuke struggled to break free.

"I will have you know, I gave you that freedom to choose a wife desirable yesterday, at the grand ball."

"What freedom to choose, Father?" Sasuke shouted, as he tried to jab one of the guards with his elbows. "The only women in there were nobles or princesses! I want someone different for a change!"

"You will not marry anyone underneath the ranking of a noble!" King Fugaku demanded, as he pounded the table with his chalice of wine. "You will be a shame to the royal family!"

When he was taken aback by his words, Sasuke managed to calm down and then formulate a sharp plan. "Well then," he said. "What if I already chose a princess? She isn't from the ball, for she comes from a distant country, and was too late to attend."

"Oh?" The king quickly became interested and sat back down, ordering the guards to remove their hands from his son. "Don't just stand there then, tell me who this princess is."

"She goes by the name Princess Naruko, and she is wanted by almost all the best princes, for her father has the best military," Sasuke lied, knowing that he would be greeting his grave soon.

Itachi spent all his time studying all the known countries, maps, and its royal families. He knew that Sasuke was spouting lies, but he just raised an eyebrow and remained silent. He had a tasty fish to tend to.

King Fugaku had folded his hands, which Sasuke caught and knew it was a good sign of interest. "When will I meet this lovely princess?"

"Soon," Sasuke smirked, knowing that his plan was working. "She is almost arriving from the Country of Fishcakes."

"Ah, what a weird name for a country," the king commented. "But I'm sure it adds to the foreign charm. This is good; we need more connections to outer lands."

With that, the meeting was sealed.

* * *

The king's men searched through all the small homes of the villagers, and none of them had a head small enough to fit the necklace through.

"Why is this so?" asked the king's most trusted guard, as he turned tiredly to the king's men. "For we have searched far and wide but came to nothing."

"Perhaps it is because we didn't search the forest," replied one.

"Indeed, for there may be homes hidden in there," spoke up another. "And we are bound to find the owner."

"Onwards, then," the guard commanded, and they rode south into the thick trees.

* * *

The other night, Jiraiya had also turned back into a toad, just like Naruto. In his case, it was the most inconvenient, for he was at a pub surrounded by a circle of women. As soon as the clock hit twelve and he had morphed into an amphibian, his hands were no longer groping butts, for he was jumping away from their startled cries.

"A frog!" they shrieked, fleeing to the corner. He was quite glad to leave, for he was annoyed that they did not know he was in fact a toad.

"I am much more handsome than my cousins," he croaked.

Once he was out of the pub and made a dash for the ramenstand, where he thought he would find Naruto, it was too late for the barmaid to bring out her swatter.

* * *

Naruto was not at the ramen stand. He was actually still in the forest, right behind the well. He thought that if Sasukesearched for him, he would not look behind the well, for that would be the most obvious place. However, he needed to find Jiraiya, and knew that his old gramps would come around anytime soon and they would leave the village to look for another mate.

Unfortunately, he morphed back into a human as it was noon, and it would be easier for Sasuke so spot him. He tried to keep low and laid on the grass.

"Jiraiya, where are you?" he mumbled. He was bored out of his mind and would be more than willing to leave; the sooner the better, for he would not like to be humiliated by the prince again. He decided to take a short nap.

It was too late for Jiraiya to arrive first, for he was looking all over the village, while Sasukeknew the most obvious place was the only place he would find Naruto.

"Naruto!" Sasuke said, as he shook the boy sleeping on the grass to awake. "Get up, Loser!"

Naruto stirred, and then jumped to his feet when he realized it was Sasuke. "What do you want?" he asked, with anger in his voice. "And you touch me now, when my skin is not warty and dry?"

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I couldn't help but be shocked," the prince replied. "But please, I need you to help me with something."

"With what?" the toad replied, and folded his arms. "I won't do it for free."

"Why not?" the prince asked, and placed his hand under Naruto's chin. He stared intensely into Naruto's eyes, and blue day met black night. "Would you do it for the Prince of Konoha?"

Blushing a bit, but pride too swell to admit it, he stepped back and said, "No, but I would do it for Sasuke, the one that's not a senseless dunce and a bastard."

Sasuke was glad that he had accepted the favor, but for some reason, he was giddy that his apology was somewhat taken, too.

It didn't last long, for the mischievous glint in Naruto'seyes told him that there was something else in mind.

"I will only do your favor, whatever it is, for a price."

Unknowing to what it was, Sasuke agreed.

'Twas the worst mistake of his life.

* * *

Sasuke huffed and groaned in annoyance as Naruto finished his billionth meal of ramen. He watched as the bowls piled up, and his belly inflamed to twice its regular size.

"Loser, your stomach is blowing up," Sasuke commented.

"All the better to fill up with, my dear," Naruto replied in a high-pitched, reeling voice, which parodied The Tale of the Little Red Riding Hood.

"You're not the Big Bad Wolf," Sasuke said, and swiveled around his chair impatiently, as he waited for Naruto to stop eating.

"Eat all you want!" Teuchi said, and heaved a hearty smile that made his stomach do a jolly joggle. "We have food fit for the king!"

The villagers were starting to pile up near the ramen stand as they tried to get a closer look at the prince and the strange person next to him consuming a month's worth of food.

"And you're not supposed to be preparing for a famine, either," Sasuke said, irritated at how the number of people made him feel claustrophobic. "Let's just get out of here; you need to help me do the favor quickly."

"Mhmm," Naruto agreed reluctantly, and took his last slurp of noodles. He then proceeded to burp, with all the gas that blew up his belly deflating to its normal flat size.

"F-freak," Sasukesaid, with wide eyes. But after he paid for the food in gold coins and Ayame did not mention turning Naruto into a ramenmeal again, they walked towards the castle, hand in hand.

* * *

So as the men trekked throughout the forest and stole some limes from the lime tree, only to spit it back out in its sourness, they finally spotted a hut, camouflaged between a thick comb of trees. They squeezed between the thin spaces that seperated the trees and the men gathered their weapons, ready to attack if anything dangerous were to occur.

The guard waited for the signal that everyone was ready before he knocked on the wooden door. The whole house was made of logs.

"Who is it?" came a shrill voice that pierced all their ears. "I have a cane!"

"It is the king's men that is outside your door," replied the guard. "We are here upon his command to fulfill a duty."

"Say no more!" the voice merrily sang. It morphed into a bitchy order. "Mikoto! Go get the door! Don't let them stand there in the cold!"

"Yes, Stepmother," Mikoto said, and ran for the door.

When she opened it, she fell back in surprise and kneeled down to beg. "Please, I promise, I won't miss one day of work again if you just don't tell—!"

"We're not here to discuss that matter," the guard said. "We are looking for the owner of this gold necklace." He showed Mikoto the necklace, and her eyes lit up in realization.

"It's my—!"

"Let me see!" the voice cracked, "I have two daughters, so it should belong to one of them!"

The guard stepped in and told the men to wait outside. Inside the home, it was warmed by the natural fire, and he noticed that the maid's face was powdered gray from ash. The woman that rudely called for Mikoto to open the door was tucked under a heap of blankets in bed, and her two daughters had quickly run from their rooms and sat on each side of her.

"Mikoto! Go to the kitchen and fetch them tea, or make yourself busy. You are clearly not the one that owns that locket," the old stepmother said. She sat up a little bit straighter in her bed as she proudly waited for the guard to try her daughters.

The first daughter had blonde hair and blue eyes. She seemed to be giving smirks at Sakura, and said, "Haha, Billboard-Brow, wait 'til you see the look on your face when it fits!"

The guard tried to fit on the necklace, but even with her hair let down and not kept in a ponytail, she simply had too much hair.

"I cannot try to let the necklace go down any further," the guard said. "Otherwise, it would be tangled in your hair."

"Wait! I can shave it!" The blonde woman, Ino, pleaded. But the guard already moved onto the other side of the bed, and tried the other sister.

The second daughter had pink hair and green eyes. "I'm going to be the next queen, Ino-pig!" Sakura, the pink-haired woman, shouted.

But as the guard began to try the necklace on, it wouldn't fit at all.

"Your head is much too big," the guard declared. "If I go any further, it would damage the necklace."

But Sakura was torn at how it couldn't fit, so she grabbed the necklace from the guard and tried to force it on her head. Finally, when it was squeezed half-way down her forehead, it combusted into a sprawling of tiny silver beads.

"My necklace! Oh, no!" cried the last sister, the stepsister Mikoto, as she ran towards the floor to hurriedly scoop them onto her ratty patched dress.

"Don't pick them up!" snapped the stepmother. She grabbed her cane and threw it at her daughter, as she could not get out of bed. The cane hit against her back, and she fell to her side.

"At least let me have my pendant," she said from the floor. She weakly got up and took a hold of the pendant. "It's the only picture I have of my sister."

"Your sister, you say?" the guard asked. He turned towards his men. "Well, we don't want to turn up in the castle empty-handed." The king's men nodded their heads in unison as an agreement. "Since you seem to have information, we will take you back to the castle."

"But King Fugaku belongs to us!" the stunned sisters and the mother shouted, but they collected the beads and carried Mikoto on horseback to the castle.

* * *

Previously, Sasuke and Naruto had snuck into the castle by the back entrance, and the prince took him to his mother's chambers. There, they looked through her dresser and found a nice gown and pair of shoes.

Naruto was not too keen on dressing up. "You didn't tell me you were a prince. And I am definitely not turning into a lady!" he whispered, as they did not want to alarm the guards. "This was not apart of our deal!"

"What does me being a prince matter? You didn't seem to care. And ah, but yes it is apart of our deal," the sneaky Sasuke corrected. "You said whatever I wanted, and what I want is for you to dress up as a lady." He closed the dressers and placed them on the bed.

"Now undress," he said.

"Don't dream of me undressing around you, my lord," Naruto jokingly said, and hid himself and his blush on the bed after he pulled down the silk drapes.

He took off his orange clothing and pulled on the gown which looked like it was made of the stars itself, and finally slipped into the shoes that looked and felt like real rubies.

He pulled back the drapes and stepped out, crossing his arms defensively as he fidgeted under Sasuke's stare. "Now where's my wig?" Naruto asked, uncomfortable with the ogling.

Little did he know that Sasuke was peaking through the whole changing.

"All you need now are bows," Sasuke said, and handed him a set of blue bows that were as smooth as a blue jay's feather. Naruto easily slipped them into his hair and he gave a little twirl.

"Do I look absolutley fabulous?" he mocked, and gave a goofy laugh. "Now tell me, why did you want me to dress up as a lady?"

"My father, the king, had chosen a princess for me to marry. I do not like girls, for they are sickly and artificial. I do like you. Therefore, to escape that fate, I need you to marry me," Sasuke calmly said, without stopping, even at 'marry me'.

"I'm a fucking toad, so get it over with then," Naruto said, and hastily turned his back as they walked hand-in-hand to the dining hall.

He didn't want that bastard to see his happy tears at finally finding a mate.

* * *

King Fugaku was shocked to see his own maid propose the idea that she was his former wife's sister. The guards and the men had left as he began to talk.

"And how would you get such a ridiculous idea that Queen Kushina was your sister?" laughed the king. He was too amused to be angry.

Mikoto remained silent and opened the locket. She held it up by her face and said, "Please, look into my eyes and tell me that I am not my sister. Then I will leave if it is so."

Then, the realization hit him that they both had the same grey eyes, and the same yellow streak near the pupil.

"You do look like her," the king said in awe. "But I will need to do one more thing to prove that you are her sister. With the necklace fixed and its beads in place, are you sure it will fit? If not, you will be executed for lying."

"I am sure," she said with confidence. "But even if you do execute me, let me tell you that I have admired you for years; ever since I started working at the castle. My sister and I both look past whom people are on their outsides, and who their pure souls are. I have also enjoyed serving you whenever I could."

Mikoto took a curtsy and prepared to leave the king's chamber to go on kitchen duty. But before she could, the king called her back.

"Wait. I don't want you go," he said, but was astonished that his heart could speak such soft words. "I… I need you to tell me more of my wife. She was welcoming but ever so distant."

"Gladly, sire."

"You may call me just Fugaku."

* * *

While everyone was talking about marriage and lost relatives, Itachi had left the castle in the afternoon to catch some fresh air. He decided, for once, that he would not stay cooped up and in his studies. In fact, he was starting to get tired of all the duties of royalty, as he studied and learned it was much. He was more than willing to hand over the title of King to his brother, and would love to move to another country.

He was thinking just that, and his thoughts would slowly begin to ease as he stared at the sea. He was sitting on a dock, a short walk away from the village, yet there seemed to be no one here. The sun began to look like a half-eaten orange.

"I want to escape from all this," he said, and laid down, with arms folded behind his head. "Move to Fischake country."

Prince Itachi closed his eyes and listened to the lapping of waves. Except, the sound of the lapping of waves brought his eyes open again, for curiosity struck him.

Wasn't the sea a calm one? He thought. Why would it have any waves?

Itachi looked down below the dock, and was startled to see a man with bluish, pale skin smiling back at him.

"Hello. What are you doing there?" Prince Itachi asked, and leaned more forward to take a better look. "You're not supposed to swim here. You'll be eaten alive by sharks."

"And you're not afraid?" its husky voice asked. The bluish, pale boy swam closer.

"No," Prince Itachi replied with a trademark smirk. "I'm not afraid."

He jumped into the sea and swam towards the boy. "Are you?"

The bluish, pale boy flinched back a little. It was the first time someone human was not afraid of him. "B-back off," the boy, named Kisame, said, about to swim away.

Amused, Prince Itachi took a hold of one of his arms and pulled him closer. "Not done with you, shark boy," he seductively teased, and let his eyes roam over the gills that etched deep under his small beady eyes, his navy hair that ran in a spiky electric jolt, and the few tiny fish scales that seemed to shimmer on his skin. He loved everything about Kisame.

Itachi wrapped his arms around his neck, and kissed the shark boy's mouth. He let Kisame bite his lips with his sharp canines, and they continued to kiss in the blood.

* * *

**Hi! Sorry for the not updating until a few days later. I will be making this story more than a two-shot under request. :) Third chapter coming soon. Please review/favorite, and thank you for reading!**


	3. III: The End

When the toad was introduced to the father, he was more than pleased. King Fugaku took one glance at the blonde princess and knew that her beauty fitted Sasuke's picky taste. However, her charming smile and looks would not satisfy his natural skeptics.

"I am pleased to have you in my kingdom, Princess Naruko," King Fugaku said.

Mikoto was on a friendlier basis with the king ever since their conversation, and she sat quietly on the edge of his bed as she waited through the meeting.

The toad did not want to reveal his hidden identity by speaking in a husk voice, so he grinned a feminine smile and nodded instead. Sasuke covered up for him by saying, "Oh, the princess cannot reply to you for her throat is feeling ill."

"Well then, I hope you heal soon," King Fugaku said, and got up from his throne to take the toad's hands. "Princess Naruko, do you approve of Sasuke's proposal?"

Naruto nodded and nervously took his hands away before they started to sweat and become clammy. Sasuke noticed this before Fugaku could, and quickly inserted, "Shall the marriage be arranged tomorrow then?"

"I don't see why not, so it shall; ere the sunset."

And so, fate took a twist and the toad was finally sent to marry the prince.

* * *

During the marriage of the prince and princess, all the villagers and all the king's men attended the grand event. The castle doors were open to peasants to noblemen, men to women, relatives to strangers, and locals to foreigners. The castle quickly became packed as everyone wanted to see who was the lucky maiden that the rebellious prince chose to marry.

Laughter filled the entire castle as joyous music in the background was accompanied with the clanks of wine glass and tankards of brewed ale. Woman danced with the rowdy men and the castle wasn't as strict as it should have been as they let them do their dance moves outside of the waltz for the miraculous occasion. When it was finally time for the hand fasting, King Fugaku cleared his throat and attention immediately came to the king's twinkling eyes.

Around King Fugaku's arms, a shy Mikoto with cheeks of a tomato was looking down in her change of attire. She wore the palace's finest white clothing and a gold tiara to her crown.

"Thank you all for coming to my son's wedding. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves, but it is time for the hand fasting, as it is Konoha tradition to do it ere the sun sets."

Shouts of cheer and agreement burst from the army of people below, and some modest clapping was also heard. But the king continued, disregarding the comments, and turned his head towards the north stairwell.

"Kindly welcome your new King Sasuke and Queen Naruko!"

Mikoto giggled and smiled proudly at the boy that she practically raised as a maid, handsomely dressed in a royal knight's armor bearing the Uchiha crest. Standing next to the young Uchiha heir was an equally handsome man, with blonde hair that would shame the sun's shine and an orange robe weaved of silk dipped in pure gold. The mysterious boy beamed at everyone's shock as they stared stupidly up the north stairwell.

"Where is Princess Naruko?" the king asked, as his happy mood quickly faded.

"There is no Princess Naruko, and nor is there a Fishcake Country, father," Sasuke replied, and smirked mischievously. "Even so, I am to marry this man, not woman, and you have nothing to say against tradition."

"TRADITION?" the king unhappily roared. "The most known tradition you speak of is marrying a woman, not a man!"

"It is too late father, for it is said in chivalry that a man must not go back on his word, and yesterday you stated that I may marry him," Sasuke argued, and in front of all the villagers, he pecked Naruto on the cheek. "By law, we are married!"

To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto did a quick peck on his cheek in return.

King Fugaku was unpleased. In fact, he was so outraged that his face slowly began to resemble a beet as blood drained and then reappeared on his ruddy face. "Sasuke—!"

Mikoto managed to calm him down by gently caressing his burning face and spoke softly. "It's fine, dear. They are children. Let them feel what it's like to love."

Mesmerized by the endless depth of the grey eyes, he nodded and the anger eroded away.

The villagers were frozen to the bone as they were paralyzed by the shock, but the multitudes of Uchiha fanatics quickly recovered and formed a mob. They started to charge up the stairs, but the couple was faster as Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand and they ran through the secret exit.

* * *

"That was a close one," panted Naruto, as he brushed the cold sweat from his brow. This time, they did not run all the way to the well with the lime tree as usual, but decided to stop and hide within the millions of maple trees.

"It was," agreed Sasuke, as he slumped down onto the grass and leaned onto the trunk of the tree. "My fans are the bane of my existence."

"They're horrible," Naruto added, as he sat besides Sasuke. "They are very annoying for being around you all the time."

"Oh? And you are jealous?" teased Sasuke, as he casually touched Naruto's lap with his.

"I am not," huffed the toad. "I was just observing. And besides, our relationship is a setup."

"Are you sure about that?"

And just as the sun was on the brink of setting, Sasuke placed a kiss over the toad's lips and the century old curse was lifted.

The toad would forever be a human, and would never croak again even by the twelfth stroke of the clock, as true love repelled any misfortune.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya had finally found Naruto, and just as he had hoped, he would no longer have to be a mere toad—he would be the prince's husband. Just as the legends went, as they shared the kiss, the back of the maple tree had their names surrounded by a heart, carved into the wood. They would live eternally in peace and youth, and never would there be a day with loneliness.

But it was time for Jiraiya to go and continue on his journey to search for a mate. Sadly, he would have to silently take his leave, with little hope that he would find the perfect partner. Little did he know that a slug had been slowly following him all this time.

* * *

And so, the little kingdom of Konoha thrived with its new kings as they learned to accept a new tradition of marrying men. Fugaku retired to his brother's country and left with his new wife Mikoto; Itachi's whereabouts were unknown, for he traveled the neverending seas with Kisame, his new companion; and King Sasuke and King Naruto governed the village with justice and respect, all the while ruling hand in hand, pinky wrapped around pinky, and lips locked with lips.

And at least, the maple tree stood immortal with their names not set in wood, but set in stone.

* * *

**Thank you for reading to the very end! Did you guess who the slug was? I'll give you a hint: Naruto's baa-chan. :P So everyone had their happy ending, and I hope for Christmas you'll get a bit of a fairy-tale yourselves! :) Thank you for reading and be sure to review/favorite. It is much appreciated and encourages me to update!**


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